Archive for October, 2009

Tangle or Knot?

October 29th, 2009 by Shanan

As I was dealing with the chaos of the weekend God gave me this beautiful object lesson.

If you look very closely at a knot of embroidery thread on a piece of fabric it looks like just a jumbled up tangle of threads.  Not at all pretty in itself.  Life can look like that at times too.  We see struggles as a tangled up mess that we need to fix rather than wait on God to show us what to do with it.  Sometimes that messy tangle can be a tiny little knot that God put there. Something strong and binding that was put there on purpose for a special reason.

Through God’s eyes we can see that knot for what it truly is.  It’s the (more…)

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When Is Pride a Problem?

October 21st, 2009 by Shane Reichart

Hey Pastors!
How do we balance faith and pride?

Sincerely,
Dunn Goode

Dear Dunn,
It is okay to have a degree of pride in certain areas. For example, being proud to be a father or taking pride in Jesus are both healthy – even biblical accounts of pride. However, pride becomes a sin when you regard something more highly or lowly than God does. Humility, then, is seeing yourself the way God sees you.

We have been saved by grace through faith. Nothing we have done makes us worthy to have our names written in the book of life. Therefore, regarding sinful pride, faith should always increase and pride should always decrease. There is no balance!

If you’re struggling with sinful pride, figuratively bring it into the light and seek the forgiveness of God and the council of others. Find a Christian brother you can trust, and confess this as sin for which you seek help. This very act will begin the process of humility. Besides, when we take pains to make ourselves look better, most can see through the facade to our insecurity, so it ultimately backfires anyway.

Shane
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“Emotional” vs. “Emotional Wreck”

October 13th, 2009 by Shane Reichart

Hey Pastors!

My parents made out their will recently. While I know the implications are likely to be a long ways off, it I started thinking through how things would be different without them. I really got worked up and it has even affected my work. I am often accused of being “emotional”. Am I crazy to think this way?

Sincerely,
R. U. Diane

Dear R. U. Diane,
You’re not crazy. But remember, although a will is a reminder that they will die, it doesn’t make their death any sooner.

It’s not crazy to be saddened to think about your parents dying. Maybe you are just prone to think through emotions much further than others would. Some people won’t even (more…)

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Contentment in Singleness?

October 3rd, 2009 by Shane Reichart

singlenessHey Pastors!
I’ve been single for several years and don’t want to be. I hope that God brings someone in to my life, but what if he doesn’t? I thought this would get easier as time goes on, but it hasn’t so far. How does one find contentment in singleness?

Sincerely,
Anita Mann

Dear Anita,
A longing to be “with” is neither a sin, nor a problem. Read 1 Corinthians 7.

Take your desire before God. Pray that He will show you how to appropriately control the desire until (or if) He calls you to pursue marriage. You can experience a portion of the companionship (more…)

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